Burton Lazars
| Burton Lazars | |
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 St James church, Burton Lazars |
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 Burton Lazars
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| Burton Lazars shown within Leicestershire | |
| Population | 450 (2015 Estimate) |
| OS grid reference | SK7716 |
| • London | 146 kilometres (91 mi) SSE |
| Civil parish | |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | MELTON MOWBRAY |
| Postcode district | LE13-14 |
| Dialling code | 01664 |
| Police | Leicestershire |
| Fire | Leicestershire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| EU Parliament | East Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | www.burtonlazars.com |
Burton Lazars is a village two miles south-east of Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire having a population of c.450 in 2015. It is the site of the remains of the English headquarters of the military and hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus. The official population as taken at the 2011 census is included in the civil parish of Burton and Dalby
It was originally an Anglo-Saxon village which was listed under the simple name of 'Burtone' at the time of William the Conqueror's Domesday Book in 1086. Before the conquest it was held by Leofric (the noble) son of Leofwin, but was given to Geoffrey of la Guerche once the Normans had taken control of England. It consisted of 104 acres of meadow and two mills and had a population made up of 30 villagers, 27 smallholders, 4 slaves, 100 freemen, 2 priests and had a value of £23.5.
Burton's name was changed to Burton St Lazarus when the Order of Saint Lazarus opened a Leper Hospital on a hill next to the village during the Crusades of the 12th century. The hospital became the Order's headquarters for the whole of its English estates and raised large amounts of money to fund the Order's activities (both military and hospitalery) in the Holy Land. The village's name quickly became abbreviated to Burton Lazars.
The village has a natural sulphorous spring which was probably a major reason for the location of the hospital. A more recent attempt to use this for bathing was made in 1760 when a bath house was built but this did not achieve commercial success.
In the early 1900s the village was famous for a steeplechase racecourse with grandstand just east of the village.
The hospital at Burton Lazars was founded between 1135 and 1138 and is thought to have been financed by subscriptions from throughout England. It was flourishing by 1146 when it started to found cells in other parts of the country to cope with the spread of leprosy brought back by soldiers and pilgrims returning from the crusades.
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Wikipedia